Mike Swick guaranteeing a finish over Jonathan Goulet at “UFC Fight for the Troops”

Mike Swick has come a long way since the days he used to fight in the light heavyweight division on the very first season of The Ultimate Fighter. Upon leaving the house Swick immediately dropped down to middleweight division where he reeled off five straight victories and looked to be on his way to a title shot. That was until he ran into a roadblock in the form of top ranked middleweight Yushin Okami.Swick dropped the unanimous decision to the naturally larger fighter and it was at that point that he decided that maybe 185 wasn’t the best weight for him after all. The American Kickboxing Academy-trained fighter decided that it was time to pursue championship glory in UFC’s welterweight division.

After making the drop down to 170 pounds Swick has compiled consecutive decision victories over Josh Burkman and most recently Marcus Davis. He makes it no secret that he will stop at nothing to obtain his chance at championship glory in the UFC.

The next challenge in his quest for the gold will come in the form of dangerous UFC veteran Jonathan Goulet at the UFC Fight Night card labeled “UFC Fight for the Troops” that will take place on December 10. Swick confirmed in an exclusive interview with FiveOuncesOfPain.com that he will be better than he ever has been come fight time.

Following his decision victory over highly regarded welterweight Marcus Davis, Swick had to take care of a problem that had been holding him back in the cage.

“I had surgery directly after the fight with Marcus Davis and ever since I have been training solid,” said the reality television show alum. “Even right after the elbow surgery, I was working on my jab with the other arm and running and doing what I could.”

With the elbow surgery out of the way, Swick feels better than ever and expects to bring it harder than ever before in his upcoming bout with Goulet.

“I feel at this point, stronger, more explosive, and a lot faster,” said Swick. “I am finally healthy and able to train at my full potential.”

Now able to train at 100%, the 29-year old fighter couldn’t be more excited to train like he has never trained before.

“Training has been going great! Couldn’t be better!,” exclaimed Swick. “I have been training with the whole Team here at AKA. My main sparring partners are Josh Koscheck, Jon Fitch, Pat Minihan, Nate James, and some of the pro boxers we have.”

The Canadian Goulet is a well-rounded fighter that may pose quite a few problems for the rising welterweight but Swick just sees it as an opportunity to showcase what he can do on a grand scale.

“I am excited,” said Swick. “I think it will be a very exciting fight!”

Sharpening his game and developing a great game plan for Goulet, Swick is confident that the Canadian fighter will be in for a few surprises on fight night.

“I have a few new things that are sure to throw him off,” said the Texas native. “No matter what he is expecting when this fight starts. He will be shocked afterwords.”

After having strung together four consecutive first round finish victories upon his arrival in the UFC, Swick has been forced to go the distance in his most recent four bouts. A streak he promises to end in his bout with Goulet.

“This fight will be finished,” guaranteed Swick.

Knowing that he is growing steadily closer to having his chance at the title, Swick, is keeping everything in perspective and knows it will come in due time. However, if he can win impressively over Goulet, it will be somewhat of a personal victory over the current welterweight champion, Georges St. Pierre.

“I doubt a win over Goulet will grant me a title shot but it would be the third previous teammate of GSP I will have beaten,” said Swick. “I am heading for the title, just taking whatever fights they give to prove I am deserving.”

“I want to thank my fans for their support,” Swick began to say in closing. “Please check out MikeSwick.com to find links to my new daily blog, youtube, and myspace pages… Thanks!”

Editor’s Note: Cory Brady conducted this interview prior to the UFC’s reported release of Swick’s teammate, Jon Fitch, as well as UFC President Dana White’s comments directed towards the American Kickboxing Academy and Zinkin Entertainment.

I don’t mean to knock Mike Swike, he’s an obviously talented fighter, but I liked him better at 185. Not just the qucik finishes, even his decisions at that weight. He hasn’t been as exciting at 170, despite having wins over 2 quality opponents. Something is wrong when you can’t have an exciting fight against Marcus Davis.

I have to disagree. I have always enjoyed Swick’s fights. The fact that he has floated through 3 weight divisions and has always shown up in great condition and with a good fight plan, is impressive. I hope that he isn’t looking past Goulet. I would like to see him continue to rise.

I wonder how much of a similar plan Swick will have to the one Koscheck used against Goulet. Josh dominated that fight and if I remember right finished it fairly early in the 1st round with a take down and some gnp. Might not be a bad idea for Swick to do the same.

And like others have mentioned, Swick hasn’t looked that great yet at 170, let’s see if the surgery along with him getting more comfortable at the weight has any affect.